I was screwed.
That single thought dominated my mind, echoing with a hollow resonance through my skull.
To be precise, exactly three months after being dropped into this parallel world, I was on the verge of receiving a social and physical death sentence.
The examination paper I had been staring at for the last hour still looked like an undecipherable cipher from some long-forgotten ancient civilization.
The Ashford Academy Senior High Entrance Exam. I had heard it was a mere formality for those advancing from the middle school division, but that only applied to the *real* Lelouch.
History of the Holy Britannian Empire? Calculating dates in the Imperial Calendar ($a.t.b.$)? Dammit, in my previous life, I was a tragic STEM student who got mocked by my friends for confusing basic A.D. centuries.
'Lelouch Lamperouge.'
The name elegantly inscribed on the corner of the desk seemed to sneer at me. Yes, I was that very Lelouch.
The revolutionary destined to shake the world with the infamous declaration: "The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed!"
But presently, I was nothing more than a pathetic transmigrator praying for the survival of my brain cells because I couldn't even pass a damn entrance exam.
"Fifteen minutes remaining."
The invigilator's indifferent voice rang out like an executioner passing sentence.
My heart plummeted. If I failed here, the genius Lelouch's reputation would be dragged through the mud, and I wouldn't be able to face Nunnally.
'Brother, you truly are a genius!'
How could I look at Nunnally's bright, smiling face if I failed? For her sake, and to avoid treading all over this handsome face, I could not afford to crumble here.
Ten thousand thoughts tangled in my mind like a crashed computer. What would the original Lelouch have done? He would have finished ages ago and been asleep by now. Seriously, where is my transmigration cheat ability?!
Cold sweat traced down my spine, threatening to form a miniature Niagara Falls.
Just as I was about to abandon all hope and write "I'm sorry" on the answer sheet, a ray of light pierced my field of vision.
The female student sitting diagonally ahead of me. She looked every bit the model student with her hair tied neatly, and I could just catch a glimpse of her answer sheet. There, spread out before me, was the feast of correct answers I so desperately craved.
In that instant, a bolt of lightning struck my brain.
Yes, that was it! The original Lelouch hunted kings, but the current me didn't even have the strength to swat a fly.
He possessed the absolute power of Geass to command others, but I had no such thing.
However, I did have a weapon of my own.
It wasn't as noble as Geass, nor as grand as a revolutionary's secret stratagem.
It was merely the most primal, low-brow, and time-honored survival technique that every student has dreamed of at least once.
'It can't be helped. It's time for my ultimate move.'
I steeled my resolve. If I lacked the absolute power granted by the gods, I would have to borrow the most cunning wisdom devised by man.
I took a deep breath and sharpened my focus.
My target was the girl sitting diagonally in front of me—the future mad scientist herself, Nina Einstein.
'The secret technique I honed in the exam halls of South Korea: The Hawk's Eye! It is time to unleash that power once more in this distant foreign land!'
Let's just do it. Whatever happens, happens.
My desperate gamble ended in total victory.
A few days later, the moment I saw my name on the list of successful candidates, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"As expected of Lelouch! Congratulations on making it into the Senior High!"
Accompanied by a boisterous voice, a powerful slap struck my back, and I barely managed to suppress a groan with a forced cough.
Standing before me was Milly Ashford, the Student Council President and granddaughter of the school's Chairman, her arm slung around my shoulder with a mischievous grin.
"A test of this level was only a natural result, Milly-senpai."
I shrugged as coolly as possible, donning the arrogant expression the original Lelouch would have worn. Inside, however, I was sweating bullets trying to calm my pounding heart.
'Ha, perfect! My secret technique, the 'Hawk's Eye,' truly is the strongest skill in this world!'
That do-or-die gamble of peeking at Nina Einstein's paper right before the end of the exam had succeeded spectacularly.
Of course, I was careful enough to intentionally get a few questions wrong.
Coming in first place for the whole school would have been too suspicious. Settling comfortably into the top tier was the only way for a fake genius like me to survive.
"Brother, congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"
Nunnally, sitting in her wheelchair, gripped my hand tightly with a radiant smile. Looking at my sister's pure, innocent expression, the anxiety that had weighed on me for the three months since my transmigration finally seemed to melt away.
Yes, if it's to protect this smile, I'd shake hands with the devil himself. A little cheating surely counts as a harmless indulgence, right?
"Now, now, the man of the hour is here, so shall we begin? Let's start the party to celebrate Lelouch's advancement!"
At Milly-senpai's declaration, the Student Council room instantly transformed into a festive atmosphere.
The table was piled high with snacks and drinks prepared from who-knows-where, and familiar faces including Shirley Fenette and Rivalz Cardemonde offered their congratulations.
"Lulu, congrats! I knew you'd do it!"
"Hey, Lelouch. With this, your position as Vice President of the Student Council is all but guaranteed, right? I'm counting on you!"
I accepted their greetings with a composed smile.
'Counting on me for what? I'm barely keeping my own head above water.'
This place, Ashford Academy, was a gathering spot for the children of the Britannian elite.
The thought of me being the Vice President in a jungle crawling with actual geniuses and eccentric elites was... overwhelming.
'Now what...?'
Passing the entrance exam was one hurdle, but the future was the real problem.
Senior high classes would be on a completely different level than middle school; I couldn't exactly cheat my way through every single grade.
I brushed aside my unease and accepted the glass of juice Milly-senpai handed me.
Even if it was just an act, for this moment, I would play the part of the perfect genius.
Under Milly-senpai's lead, the party spiraled into a chaotic frenzy.
An impromptu dance battle broke out in the middle of the room, while in another corner, Rivalz tried to perform a clumsy magic trick to impress Shirley, only to end up burning his own hat instead of producing a pigeon.
I watched the commotion from a step back, sipping my juice with the same cynical smile the original Lelouch would have worn.
In truth, I wanted to laugh and joke with them, but the mask of Lelouch Lamperouge wouldn't permit it.
I simply wondered how much longer this peaceful daily life could possibly last.
After the rowdy party ended and everyone departed, I collapsed onto the bed in my room within the Student Council clubhouse.
Nunnally was already sound asleep, likely exhausted from the day's excitement.
The relief of overcoming one obstacle was brief; the true struggle started now.
"Would it have killed them to give me a genius intellect as a transmigration bonus?"
I lamented to the empty ceiling before sitting up abruptly. I didn't have time for self-pity.
I had to survive. To do that, I had to maximize the use of my knowledge of the future.
I sat at my desk, pen in hand, tracing my memories to jot down the key events of the original story.
[Shinjuku Ghetto Incident & Meeting with C.C.: The beginning of everything. Obtaining Geass.]
This was supposed to happen shortly after starting senior high, if I recalled correctly...
[Birth of Zero: Founding of the Black Knights and the start of resistance activities.]
[Black Rebellion: The climax of the first stage. Ends in failure.]
As I reached that point, warning bells started ringing in my head.
'Wait, no. That's not the real issue.'
A chill ran down my spine. I had forgotten. The final boss of this story. The source of all tragedy, the Emperor: Charles zi Britannia. And his horrific plan, the Ragnarök Connection.
A mad project for the 'Human Instrumentality' of this world, aiming to integrate all human consciousness into one, creating a world without lies, secrets, or individuality.
If that succeeded, not only would my existence be erased, but all of humanity—including Nunnally—would lose their sense of self and become part of a massive, singular mental collective.
"Damn it... this is on a whole different scale."
This wasn't just a war against the Britannian Empire.
This was an extinction-level catastrophe for the human race.
It wasn't something I could avoid by just living quietly. If the Emperor's plan wasn't stopped, this world would simply end.
Ultimately, I reached the conclusion that I had to intervene in the flow of this mad history, one way or another.
And to intervene, I needed power. The most reliable power I could lean on was Geass.
"In the end... do I have to go to Shinjuku?"
I clutched my head. The destiny I wanted to avoid had returned as a fate I was forced to confront. I, a man who had barely advanced to high school by cheating, was now in a position where I had to save the world.
Erasing what I had written at the top of the paper, I wrote a new objective with a trembling hand.
[Ultimate Objective: Prevent the Emperor's Ragnarök Connection]
[Primary Objective: In the Shinjuku Ghetto, survive at all costs and obtain Geass!]
"I can't exactly say 'whatever happens, happens' anymore."
With a bitter smile, I looked out the window at the dark sky. The great gears of destiny had begun to turn, creaking with me at the center.
After overcoming the mountain that was the entrance exam, an almost illusory peaceful routine returned.
One year. If my memory served me right, there was about a year left until the Shinjuku Ghetto incident.
"One year... plenty of time for a student's grade to change, even if the world hasn't yet."
I hummed a tune as I walked through the quiet corridors of Ashford Academy. My heart felt lighter knowing the immediate fire under my feet had been extinguished.
Of course, the extinction-level event of the Ragnarök Connection awaited, but that was in the distant future. Surely I wouldn't be punished for enjoying a bit of this peace now.
At that moment, a female student walked toward me from the other end of the hall.
It was a classmate I rarely saw due to her frequent excuses of being "sickly"—Kallen Stadtfeld.
'That hair... so she really did style it that way on purpose.'
I glanced at her hair as we passed. The spiky, wild hair she wore as a resistance member was gone, replaced by calm, straight red hair falling to her shoulders.
It was a disguise to play the role of a fragile girl, but I knew that beneath it hid a beast that prowled the battlefield in the Guren.
I stopped and looked back at the end of the corridor where she had disappeared.
I thought of the Kallen from the original story. The ace pilot who fought on the front lines of the Black Knights.
The tragic heroine who gave Zero her pure and burning loyalty, yet ultimately failed to win his heart.
'Come to think of it, Kallen ended up...'
A lingering regret from when I watched the original series resurfaced.
Of course, the "correct" ending was Lelouch being with C.C., and I supported that pairing as well.
"But... even if I wasn't a Kallen-shipper, I was definitely a harem-shipper!"
I startled myself with the sheer honesty that burst out. I looked around quickly, but fortunately, no one was there to hear.
"I mean, honestly! He's a Prince of Britannia! He even becomes Emperor later! Surely a man of that status could afford to keep a few women around!"
Besides, wasn't monogamy a rigid rule mostly applied to commoners?
This was a world that was a mix of feudalism and absolute monarchy!
I vented my inner frustrations toward the original Lelouch.
That frustrating guy who had incredible specs but was absolutely hopeless at romance.
'What if *I* become Zero...?'
An impure thought flashed through my mind.
'Should I try to get closer to Kallen ahead of time?'
Of course, there was the grand justification of recruiting someone who would become a core power of the Black Knights. But even more than that, a selfish desire to personally fix the regrets I had with the original story started to boil over.
If I could save the world and secure a rosy future with beautiful girls along the way, wouldn't that be the perfect isekai life?
A smirk crept onto my face.
"Alright. Let's add a new goal to the survival plan."
I pulled out the plan I had written last night.
[Ultimate Objective: Prevent the Emperor's Ragnarök Connection]
[Primary Objective: In the Shinjuku Ghetto, survive at all costs and obtain Geass!]
[Secondary Objective: Recruit core members of the Black Knights]
[Tertiary Objective: Get closer to Kallen]
Beneath the grand goal of stopping the Emperor's plan and saving the world, I carefully tucked in a very personal and slightly impure motive: getting closer to Kallen.
Surely, this much of a small joy should be permitted before I had to go through such a great ordeal.